Yeeeah Baby
Encyclopedia
Yeeeah Baby is the second solo and final studio album
by rapper Big Pun
. In the wake of Big Pun's death in February 2000, it was posthumously released in April of the same year as planned, peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200
charts, and subsequently was certified Gold
. Fat Joe
, Pun's close friend and mentor, is the executive producer of the album.
Yeeeah Baby included his trademark sinister sound with tracks like “Off Wit His Head” and “Leather Face,” it also featured more lighthearted efforts like the optimistic “It’s So Hard” and the Puerto Rican nationalist anthem “100%.” Struggling with morbid obesity, Pun experienced breathing problems throughout the album’s recording process, slowing down his iconic flow. He died at 28 years of age, just two months before the album’s release.
, released the following year. The album consist of two of Big Pun's biggest hits, the first single "It's So hard" and the Puerto Rican anthem "100%".
In his last magazine interview, conducted by Industry Insider only a week before his death, Pun detailed that his approach on Yeeeah Baby was not as "hardcore" as his previous album, Capital Punishment
, in an attempt to reach out to an even wider fanbase than his debut album already had.
, the album sold more than 179,000 copies in its first week in stores to take the third slot on the chart. It reached Gold
status within three months.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by rapper Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
. In the wake of Big Pun's death in February 2000, it was posthumously released in April of the same year as planned, peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
charts, and subsequently was certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
. Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, Pun's close friend and mentor, is the executive producer of the album.
Yeeeah Baby included his trademark sinister sound with tracks like “Off Wit His Head” and “Leather Face,” it also featured more lighthearted efforts like the optimistic “It’s So Hard” and the Puerto Rican nationalist anthem “100%.” Struggling with morbid obesity, Pun experienced breathing problems throughout the album’s recording process, slowing down his iconic flow. He died at 28 years of age, just two months before the album’s release.
Background
The original title that Big Pun selected for Yeeeah Baby was Endangered Species, which was to later become the title of Pun's second posthumous albumEndangered Species (Big Pun album)
Endangered Species is a posthumous and compilation of unreleased tracks, guest appearances, and greatest hits by the late rapper Big Pun, released in 2001 following his death in February 2000. The proceeds from the album were to be given to Pun's widow, Liza Rios, and their three children, The...
, released the following year. The album consist of two of Big Pun's biggest hits, the first single "It's So hard" and the Puerto Rican anthem "100%".
In his last magazine interview, conducted by Industry Insider only a week before his death, Pun detailed that his approach on Yeeeah Baby was not as "hardcore" as his previous album, Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment (album)
Capital Punishment is the solo debut album by rapper Big Pun, released on April 28, 1998. The album received critical acclaim, and Big Pun became the first solo Latino rapper to go Platinum. The album peaked at #5 on on the Billboard 200 charts and #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart for two weeks...
, in an attempt to reach out to an even wider fanbase than his debut album already had.
Reception
Commercial
Yeeeah Baby posted a strong debut on the billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, the album sold more than 179,000 copies in its first week in stores to take the third slot on the chart. It reached Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
status within three months.
Critical
Yeeeah Baby received favorable reviews from music critics.- Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(4/13/00, p. 128) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...[Pun] has gone out with a bang. He attacked standard hip-hop topics with witty, unpredictable elasticity....Pun is at his habanero hottest..."
- Q (7/00, p. 111) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Would have established [him] as both a radio-friendly commercial force and rebellious icon..."
- CMJ (4/24/00, p. 30) - "...Beams the spotlight on the Boricua bomber's unparalleled breath control and hilarious jaw-dropping wordplay."
- Vibe (6/00, p. 214) - "...A triumphant final effort for one of the Boogie Down Bronx's favorite super-lyrical sons....[It] showcases Pun's matured artistic vision and newly mastered flows but never ceases to move bodies and minds..."
- The SourceThe Source (magazine)The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
(5/00, p. 186) - 4 mics out of 5 - "...An even more in-depth peep inside the heart and soul of a man in constant struggle with himself....a backstage pass to the all-out jam that was Pun's personality: street-wise, intellectually sharp, sex-crazed - and funny as hell..."
- NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(4/29/00, p. 35) - 7 out of 10 - "...[A] raucous final musical statement....like a library of every cool contemporary hip-hop sound squeezed onto one compact disc....One for delinquent work experience boys everywhere..."
Track listing
Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2000 | Yeeeah Baby | #3 | #1 |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
Rhythmic Top 40 | ||
| 2000 | "It's So Hard" | #75 | #19 | #11 | #39 |
| 2000 | "100%" | #84 | #53 | #16 | - |